Pastor’s wife details harrowing battle with Malaysian gov’t to free abducted husband Raymond Koh
Susanna Liew has spent nearly nine years fighting the Malaysian government over the abduction of her husband, Pastor Raymond Koh, who was taken in broad daylight on a street in a Kuala Lumpur suburb. Last month, after years of silence from authorities, failed investigations and mental exhaustion, she won a high court ruling in her favor. But she says that her family remains trapped in grief.
In an interview with the BBC, Liew describes how she was thrust from being a quiet pastor’s wife into a global campaigner. She said a voice inside her urged her to act the moment she realized authorities would not help: “So they took him in secret, I will let the whole world know.”
On Feb. 13, 2017, Koh was abducted by masked men in a convoy of seven vehicles. His car was boxed in, a window smashed, and he was dragged out and taken away in less than a minute. No ransom demand was ever made. Liew’s children canvassed the neighborhood and obtained CCTV footage showing the coordinated operation, confirming the family’s suspicion that this was no ordinary kidnapping.
That night, when Liew reported the incident to the police, she expected concern. Instead, she said she was interrogated for five hours about whether her husband had tried to convert Muslims to Christianity. Her family has consistently denied any such activity. She later learned this line of questioning had been ordered by higher authorities.
Liew’s campaign began with little more than the grainy CCTV video and her refusal to remain silent.
Over the years, she juggled legal filings, media interviews and global speaking engagements while dealing with depression and raising her youngest daughter, sometimes relying on handmade jewelry sales and donations.
She said police misled the family and obstructed investigations.
Officers first claimed a drug ring might be involved, then arrested an Uber driver. Both were later discredited.
Liew told the BBC the family felt the police were producing “red herrings” to hide their own involvement.
In 2018, the case took a turn. A police sergeant went to the home of another victim’s wife and confessed that Koh had been taken by the police’s Special Branch. The sergeant said he came forward out of guilt. He later retracted his statement, but investigators found his denial inconsistent and ruled his original account credible.
That same year, a car seen at both Koh’s abduction and a similar earlier incident was traced to a Special Branch officer.
In 2019, Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission concluded that Koh had been forcibly disappeared by police agents due to religious motives. A later government probe, which was made public only after a legal battle by Liew and others, named Awaludin bin Jadid, a retired Special Branch official, as the key figure.
In 2020, Liew filed a civil lawsuit against the police and the Malaysian government, seeking justice and accountability.
Last month, the High Court ruled in her favor, declaring the police responsible for her husband’s disappearance. The court ordered the Malaysian government to pay the pastor’s family RM10,000 ($2,350) for each day since his disappearance, totaling more than RM31 million ($7.4 million). In addition, the court awarded RM4.3 million (around $1 million) to Liew, in damages and legal costs.
However, the funds are to be placed in a trust and cannot be accessed by Liew or the couple’s three children unless and until Koh is located.
Liew told the BBC that while the verdict offered some validation, her family is still “frozen in grief.” She said the emotional toll of not knowing whether Koh is alive continues to haunt them. “If we know that he’s dead and have his body, at least we can bury him and we can move on. But right now, we are in a limbo. We don’t know — is he dead or alive? — and this takes a toll on us.”
She now campaigns for structural reforms, demanding the formation of a commission of inquiry, a disciplinary board for police conduct, and a task force to locate those responsible.
No officers have faced charges. One of them has since been promoted.
The government has appealed the verdict, citing financial strain and principles of fairness. Liew said she hopes they drop the appeal. “I would feel very tired if I have to do this all over again,” she said.
Despite all this, Liew says she has forgiven those who took her husband.
She explained that during the trial, her anger gave way to a desire for inner clarity. “I want to be really right and pure before God,” she said. But forgiveness, she stressed, does not mean she will stop fighting.
In 2020, the U.S. Department of State recognized her with an International Women of Courage award. Since then, Liew has continued raising awareness about enforced disappearances, traveling internationally and training to become a counselor to help others cope with trauma.
She says the struggle will continue until justice is served. “What we really want is for the perpetrators to be brought to justice,” she said, adding, “We want to know where Pastor Raymond is.”
Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country where Islam is the official religion, and the state enforces a dual legal system that includes both civil and Sharia law. While religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus and Buddhists are allowed to practice their faith, the government places strict limits on religious expression, especially among ethnic Malays, who are constitutionally defined as Muslims.
Proselytizing to Muslims is prohibited, and Christian groups face legal and social pressure if they are perceived to cross that line. Churches have reported surveillance, restrictions on religious materials and investigations over alleged attempts to convert Muslims. Cases involving apostasy or interfaith gatherings often draw scrutiny from both religious authorities and the police.
